#Puppet #theater #performance #Siberian #Haiku #children #adults
Thanks to an unexpected appointment related to one of my projects on the Instagram blog “Teātra Gariņš”, I also got to the Latvian Puppet Theater. I wanted to visit it for a long time, but, let’s just say, I have always been guided by the classic stereotype – the Puppet Theater is only for children.
Of course, taking into account that I am increasingly interested in theater processes both in Latvia and outside of it, I know that nowadays various object theater genres are popular in many parts of the world, even creating performances that are not for children. Also, a doll, marionette or an incredibly expensive horse from South Africa tends to “wander” into Latvian dramatic theater performances once in a while.
However, I have always felt uncomfortable going to a PUPPET theater anyway. Well, what kind of puppet theater is there at my age!? I don’t even really know any kids who could take me there.
Of course, I have heard that (quite rarely) the Puppet Theater also stages a show for adults, the most recent of which was the politically erotic cabaret “Without Morals. With puppets”, which was staged when the Puppet Theater was still in the Latvian Society’s building. I had never seen this show, so when I promised to visit this theater, I immediately thought that I would go to it. However, the last performances of this production were announced in March and the proposed dates didn’t work for me, so I didn’t get to watch this show. However, I wanted to fulfill my promise, so I bought tickets to the recently staged “Siberian Haiku”, but for everything in order.
I follow the Puppet Theater in the digital environment and some time ago the announced Valters Silas (if I remember correctly – debut) performance in the paper animation technique about deportation to Siberia, which was inspired by the Lithuanian graphic novel of the same name, seemed very unusual. I had already heard about this award-winning novel by Jurgas Vile with illustrations by the artist Lina Itagaki, but, as you can see, I don’t go to the Puppet Theater every day and I don’t read children’s books.
So – such a difficult topic will be played out with paper in the Puppet Theater. At that time I still thought – it will be a masterpiece or a complete failure. The fact that Valters Sílis, who has already created many wonderful, politically topical and memorable shows, will be directing the second version made it impossible to believe. However – not in the Puppet Theater.
Shortly before the premiere, I still thought that I would still like to visit this show to see for myself what will really happen. However, the fact that it will be a 10+ show based on a children’s novel made me remind myself that Puppet Theater is for children. The premiere took place in January, I had read rave reviews from people who went to the theater with children and who also liked it.
At the beginning of February, I promised to go to a performance of the Puppet Theater, but when I looked at the repertoire, I realized that I was not going to the only performance for an adult audience (and there won’t be any more of this show in the repertoire) and that I could only schedule “Siberian Haiku”. When I bought the tickets, my “inner child” and “inner theater lover” were excited to actually see this production. Meanwhile, I myself have already started to imagine the situation when on the day of the performance I will be the only adult who came to the performance without children.
As the performance approached, I had already noticed several reviews on social media from people who also went to this production without children and were delighted. Needless to say, it was really calming.
Then the day of my show finally came. Arriving at the theater, I was happy to enter the door with a bunch of adults without children. That means I’m not the only one here. Of course, the vast majority of the audience were children and teenagers, but I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable or strange that I wasn’t like that anymore. I could calmly enjoy the recently completed renovation of the theater building and try to remember how everything looked before that. It’s been quite a while since I was last here, but I have some memories of what the corridor to the Great Hall was like, and of course the auditorium itself.
It must be said unequivocally that the show deserves all the laudatory words dedicated to it. The combination of a brilliantly crafted story, drawings, voices, cameras and some unusual sound-making props has resulted in a truly outstanding show that is definitely not just for children or teenage audiences. This show is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to both remember the stories of their family and get excited about the way the story of the little boy Alģas about his time in Siberia is told.
Considering all the dangerous things happening today, this show is of course very relevant and can also become a great way to introduce children to historical events (it is important to emphasize that it is not only the painful history of Lithuania, but also Latvia). Just like Mikhail Chekhov’s play “With Ball Shoes in the Snows of Siberia”, “Siberian Haiku” strongly reminds us that these events should not be forgotten and how important it is to prevent such history from repeating itself.
I don’t want to reveal too much, because I think that everyone should see “Siberian Haiku” for themselves, both for the story and the way it is told. Excellent! Rihards Zelezņevs, Baiba Vanaga, Elīna Bojarkina, Artūrs Putniņš and Kristina Varša certainly deserved to be nominated as an ensemble of outstanding, unified and nuanced acting. I don’t even doubt that Valters Sílis could be nominated for the “Night of Gamblers” award as “Director of the Year”. We must also mention the excellent performance of artist Uģi Bērziņas and video artist Tomas Zeļģas, as well as the charming music created by Gat Krievāns.
If there are more shows like this at the Puppet Theater, it is very likely that I will start visiting it much more often. “Jelgava ’94” is currently being produced, quite intriguing for adults as well, isn’t it?
“Siberian Haiku” certainly proves that adults can (and even should) visit the Puppet Theater unaccompanied by children. It should also be added that when I bought the tickets, I specially chose the seats at the back, on the edge, so as not to “obstruct the view” of any child. Needless to say, there was a bunch of adults without kids sitting in the middle of the row. In addition, it is possible to adjust the chairs so that even a child could “block the view” of an adult. So feel free to go to the Puppet Theater, sit where you like and enjoy a different kind of theater experience.
Oh yes, on to the oft-mentioned appointment that brought me to the Puppet Theater in the first place. In his own Instagram In the blog “Teātra Gariņš” I also create “Kultūrsarunas” or interviews with various Latvian cultural personalities. For such an interview, I also approached Rihards Zelezņeva, an actor of the Latvian Puppet Theater (it should be added that it is Rihards who also brilliantly plays the role of little Alģ in “Siberian Haiku”), who, having noticed that I have not written about the Puppet Theater, invited me to come and watch a performance. I promised and I didn’t regret it for a second. I really liked it, I will come again.
PS “KultūrSaruna” with Rihardas Zelezneva will soon be available for reading Instagram on the “Teātra Gariņš” blog, so I invite you to follow the news.
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